


In Life's Name

by SailorSol



Series: The Wizard's Oath [1]
Category: Young Wizards - Diane Duane
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Day 2, Female Characters, Female Friendship, Female Protagonist, Female-Centric, Gen, Israel, Israeli character(s), POV Female Character, War, Wizard's Oath, Wizards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-11
Updated: 2014-03-11
Packaged: 2018-01-15 10:10:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1301107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorSol/pseuds/SailorSol
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carmela is recruiting wizards to help Kit and Nita.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Life's Name

**Author's Note:**

  * For [batyatoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/batyatoon/gifts).



> All the hugs to H. for the beta and support and making sure I got my facts straight. I couldn’t have written this story without her. Extra hugs for the picture she made for this.
> 
> it's been a long time sinceI read Wizards at War, so apologies for inconsistencies. I've set this story in spring 2007. Translations and cultural notes at the end.

Early May in New York had been hot, but was nothing compared to the bright sun of Jerusalem. Carmela wished she had a hat, but she hadn’t thought to bring one, and she couldn’t afford to waste any more energy using the transport spell to get home again. She hadn’t thought to bring more than a few dollars in cash, either, which wouldn’t do her any good here anyway.

The streets were busy, people bustling about their business, but it wasn’t at all like the constant crush of Manhattan. There were no looming skyscrapers to offer shade, and it was so much hillier than she’d imagined it to be. If she’d had more time, she would have enjoyed wandering around, looking at the shops and watching the people. But time was running out for magic, and Kit needed her to help recruit as many wizards as were still remaining.

A group of boys, a little younger than her brother, were laughing and talking loudly. ‘Mela had only picked up a few words in Hebrew, not enough to understand what they were saying, but the way they were acting reminded her more of teenaged girls—hanging off of one another, stealing each other’s cell phones, and generally being much more physically affectionate than any male over the age of six would be at home.

_At least they’re still laughing._

The adults were all shuffling along, eyes cast down. It felt wrong, even for someone like Carmela who wasn’t a wizard, but she knew this was because magic was draining away and if Kit and Nita and Dairine didn’t stop it, things would only get worse.

She checked the gadget she’d bought off the television three months ago—it acted like radar for magic—but the boys were just that; boys. There was a blip nearby, heading in her general direction, and she turned to scan the crowd, hoping for something noticeable.

Three men having a loud argument; a woman comforting a crying child; a group of teenagers who couldn’t be much older than ‘Mela herself, in olive green uniforms contrasted by forest green berets, at least two with rifles slung casually over their shoulders. The latter was jarring, but didn’t seem out of place here, and still didn’t feel like what she was looking for.

Her device beeped, ‘Mela spun around in the other direction, and there—a girl who could have been ‘Mela’s sister, or perhaps a cousin, with curly dark hair and skin the color of a dark tan. Despite the sweltering heat, she had on cream-coloured shirt that went almost down to her elbows, and a sky-blue skirt that went past her knees - though at least these were cotton, and seemed light. The girl also didn’t seem to be paying attention to where she was walking, staring off in the distance past ‘Mela.

“Watch out!” ‘Mela warned in the Speech, grabbing the girl’s arm to pull her aside before she could walk into a bench.

“ _Ma? Ah, toda_ ,” the girl said, before her eyes widened. “Oh! _Dai stihó_ , cousin,” she said, switching into the Speech.

“ _Dai stihó_ ,” ‘Mela replied. “Though I’m not actually a wizard. Carmela Rodriguez,” ‘Mela said, offering out her hand. “I’m helping my kid brother and his girlfriend with some Errantry. Don’t tell Kit I said that though, they’re still in denial.”

The girl blinked twice before taking ‘Mela’s hand, her grip firm but gentle. “Na’ama Ovadya. You’re here because the magic is fading, aren’t you.”

‘Mela could see it in the girl’s face: someone close to her had forgotten, the way Tom and Carl had. “Kit and Nita would have come themselves, but they’re busy. All the grown ups have forgotten about magic. I’m trying to find anyone who’s left, before it’s too late.”

Na’ama’s tongue darted out of her mouth, wetting her lips. ‘Mela wasn’t sure if it was a nervous gesture, or an anticipatory one. Her eyes had darted past ‘Mela again, towards the soldiers who were still lingering on the sidewalk, shoving at each other much the same way the boys had been. One of the soldiers with a gun was a girl, blond hair trailing down her back in a braid that was tied off with a neon pink tie. “ _Tzav Shmone_ ,” Na’ama said, slipping back into Hebrew, her voice soft.

She seemed to shrink in on herself; ‘Mela didn’t find it very surprising. Na’ama was the fifth wizard she had tried to recruit, and two had refused to help already. But Na’ama straightened her shoulders after only a moment, dark eyes meeting ‘Mela’s.

“ _Ken_. What do you need me to do?”

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

>  _"Mah? Ah, toda."_ : What? Oh, thank you.
> 
>  _Dai stihó_ : The customary greeting in the Speech between two wizards.
> 
>  _Tzav Shmone_ : Order Eight, the emergency draft order. Order Eights get slapped when you need to mobilize entire units, not handfuls. It's a Big Damn Deal, it's something viscerally scary. People get fidgety when Order Eights start flying. They're also immediate - nowadays you get them on phone or text message, and it's drop everything and go now, whereas normal reserve activation you know about weeks and months in advance and can negotiate to a degree (e.g. if you have exams or are about to have a baby).
> 
> Cultural Notes: This story is set in the spring of 2007. Israeli Memorial Day fell at the end of April that year, the first Memorial Day since the [Second Lebanon War](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Lebanon_War) in the summer of 2006. While relatively short and with relatively low casualties on the Israeli side, it still had a significant impact on the lives of many people, including the soldiers who weren't necessarily on the front lines and the civilians who were displaced and the families who took them in. This war affected _everyone_. A relatively high number of people died in a relatively short amount of time,  >60,000 reservists were activated, tens of thousands displaced.


End file.
